February 18, 2010
For the second time in a year, the electoral rolls are updated again to include the immigrants who have become citizens in 2009, the exact number of which remains unknown.
According to the National Population Secretariat, Singapore welcomed 20,153 new citizens in 2008, up from 17,334 in 2007 and 13,000 in 2006.
With the number of new citizens increasing yearly, we should expect the number of new citizens in 2009 to be higher than that of 2008.
Assuming we have 24,000 new citizens in 2009 based on the average of an increase of 4,000 yearly since 2007, we will have a total of 74,487 new citizens eligible to vote in the next general election expected to beheld this year.
Since new citizens are more likely to vote for the ruling party which gives them the opportunity to start life anew in Singapore, the figure is sufficient to tilt closely-fought contests, especially in single-seat wards in favor of the incumbent.
Is it fair to allow new citizens who have resided in Singapore for only a few years to determine the collective destiny of native Singaporeans who are born and bred in Singapore all their lives?
They may not have spent sufficient time here to enable them to make an informed decision on their futures.
In some states like South Carolina in the U.S.A., a minimum waiting period is imposed on new immigrants before they are allowed to vote in the state elections.
While there is no such stipulation for new citizens in Canada, Australia and France, these countries have tighter immigration criteria than Singapore.
For example, a foreign worker must reside in Australia for a minimum period of two years before one can apply for PR. Citizenships typically take more than 5 years after which the newcomers will be familiar with the political situation in their adopted homelands.
In contrast, many PRs in Singapore are able to obtain their citizenships in a short period of time, ranging from one to five years which is too short for them to gain an in-depth understanding of Singapore’s political system dominated by the ruling party for fifty continuous years.
The ruling party also has state resources at its disposal to reach out to the new immigrants such as grassroots organizations which have been busy organizing events to make them feel “welcomed” in Singapore.
With the state media censoring news about opposition parties, it will not be a surprise if the new citizens are not aware of their existence at all.
Naturally, they will vote for the party with the “lightning” logo which is ubiquitous throughout the HDB estates in Singapore.
Due to widespread frustration, anger and resentment against the ruling party, it is expected to lose some votes from native Singaporeans unhappy with its immigration and housing policies which can be “made up” easily by votes from the new citizens.
Of course it will be foolhardy to expect the ruling party to impose a waiting period for new citizens to vote which is detrimental to their interests.
Unless the swing towards the opposition is huge, the ruling party is expected to ride on the wave of support from the new citizens to romp home to another overwhelming victory at the next general election.
http://www.temasekreview.com/2010/02/18/should-there-be-a-waiting-period-before-new-citizens-are-allowed-to-vote/
New citizen = more 100% vote to pap.
I guess lah.